Float-controlled valve



F H WARNER FLOAT CONTROLLED VALVE Filed March 27, 1951 jan., 169 w34,

Patented Jan. 16, 1934 FLOAT-CONTROLLED VALVE Frederick Henry Warner,Ipswich, vEngland Application March Z7, 1931, Serial No. 525,794, and inGreatjBritain May 9, 1930 2 Claims. (Cl. 137-104) This inventioncomprises improvements in or relating to float-controlled mechanismwhichis automatically operated when the liquid in a container reaches apredetermined level, and

5 the invention is more particularly concerned with ball and valvemechanism of the kind used in conjunction with water supply cisterns.

In ordinary apparatus of this kind the float gradually rises with theliquid entering the container until a point below the pretermined levelis reached at which it starts to actuate the valve, but the valve is notcompletely closed till later, and conversely as the float sinks fromthehigh level the Valve is not completely opened until this point isreached again. This slow actuation of the valve is undesirable. Y

With a View to avoiding this slow actuation oi the liquid supply-valve,apparatus has been proposed in which the said valve is operated 20automatically by a iioat in an auxiliary receptacle which is providedwith an inlet of large area in relation to its capacity to receiveliquid which overflows suddenly from the main liquid container when thepredetermined high-level is reached, so that the auxiliary receptacle iscaused to ll quicker than the container and the liquid supply valvequickly closed. The proposed auxiliary receptacle was to contain anoutlet and a valve therefor opened by a low level oat in the main liquidcontainer upon the liquid reaching a predetermined low level for thepurpose of causing the float in the auxiliary receptacle to fall rapidlyand thus open the valve quickly. One object of the present invention isto improve this known apparatus in such a way as to insure completeclosure of the inlet valve during the whole period in which the fall ofliquid is occurring so that complete discharge of the liquid which isbetween the two levels can occur before a fresh inux begins.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and compactconstruction which avoids the necessity for any linkage or otheroperative connection between the low level float and the valvecontrolling the outlet from the auxiliary receptacle aforesaid.

Accordingly the present invention provides neat-controlled mechanism fora liquid container comprising the combination with a iioat, a receptaclesurrounding the float providedwith an overflow inlet of large area inrelation to its capacity at the level of the predetermined upper limitof liquid level in the container, and an outlet in the bottom of thereceptacle, of a low is correspondingly l level float, a valve memberupon the low level iioat for controlling said outlet, and a basin uponthe upper face of the low level float arranged to collect liquid issuingfrom the recep tacle andto assist opening of the outlet valve thereof.

It is also preferable to provide in the basin a drainage opening toeffect unloading of the low-level float prior to the opening of theaforesaid valve in the receptacle-outlet but at a rate substantiallyless than that at which the basin on the float receives the aforesaidliquid loading.

The present invention prevents any balanced state arising wherein theauxiliary receptacle might be lled as fast as it is being emptied by itsoutlet valve, which would reintroduce the disadvantage the apparatus isintended to avoid.

One example of apparatus according to this invention will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:-

Figure 1 shows in elevation a liquid supply tank fitted with the floatcontrolling device, and

Figure 2 is a section of the said device taken on the line 2--2 ofFigure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, a liquid supply tank 10 is fitted with aoat-controlled valve of the ballvalve type, and has mounted within it afixed receptacle 11 in the form of a bowl within which the ball 12 canmove vertically. The receptacle is mounted, as shown in Figure 2, on abracket 13 xed to the side of the tank with the upper rim 14 of thereceptacle at the predetermined high level 140. An outlet l5 is providedin the bottom of the receptacle large enough to permit rapid emptyingthereof. The outlet is controlled by a valve operated by a oat 16 in themanner to be described hereinafter.

The valve comprises an externally screwthreaded tubular member 17 heldvertically within an opening in the bottom of the receptacle bylock-nuts 18 and 19, and a flat annular valve member 20 having a rubberwasher 21 adapted to rest on a valve seating 22 formed at the bottom ofthe tubular member. The rubber washer is held in position by a nut 23.'Ihe valve member 20 is' formed integrally with a valve stern 24slidable within a guide 25 secured within, or formed integrally with,the tubular member 17. A bre washer 26 is secured by means of a bolt 27to the upper end of the valve stem to limit its downward movement in theguide, its upward movement being limited by the closing of the valvewhen the float ascends.

The lock-nuts 18 and 19 serve also to compress a rubber washer 28against the bottom of the inside of the receptacle to complete aliquidtight joint there around the tubular member 17, and to secure thereceptacle to the bracket 13.

The float 16 has at the centre of its upper face a boss 29 forscrewthreaded attachment of the oat to the valve stem by means of a bolt30. A receiver is formed on the upper face of the float by securing anupstanding annular wall 31, around the edge of the said face, and adrain hole or pipe 32 is provided in the wall 31 substantially at thelevel of the upper face. The float 16 is located at such a height abovethe bottom of the tank that it will descend to effect partial opening ofthe outlet 15 when the predetermined low level of liquid is attained inthe tank.

The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows:--

Assuming that the supply cock 33 is open with the ball 12 in its loWposition as shown in the drawing, and the level of liquid in the tank isrising. As the liquid level ascends the float 16 also rises to close theoutlet 15 and prevent liquid entering the receptacle at the bottom. Whenthe predetermined high level 140 is slightly exceeded liquid will overowsuddenly from the tank into the receptacle which becomes #rapidly filledcausing the ball 12 to rise rapidly and close the supply cock 33. When,upon withdrawal of liquid from the tank, the predetermined low level isattained the float 16 from which liquid will have drained through thedrain lhole 32, sinks slowly with the liquid and commences to open theoutlet 15 in the receptacle. The liquid issuing from the receptaclethrough the partially opened outlet fills the oat-receiver and loads thefloat suiiiciently to ensure rapid and complete opening of the outlet15. A shroud 34 is provided to direct the' water coming through valve 15downwardly into the receiver 31. This in turn causes rapid emptying ofthe receptacle and reduces the likelihood of incomplete opening of theoutlet due to sticking of the moving parts. The rapid emptying of thereceptacle is desirable to ensure rapid opening of the supply cock whenthe ball 12 descends.` Obviously, the size of the drain hole must besuch `that liquid drains away more slowly than it enters even though theoutlet 15 is not completely open.

Liquid now enters the tank and as the liquid level rises again it liftsthe oat 16 Which in Yturn closes the outlet 15. When the predeterminedhigh level is again exceeded liquid overflows into the receptacle andthe cycle of operations is repeated.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to oatscontrolling a valve as described in the specific example, but it is alsoapplicable to apparatus in which other neat-controlled mechanism isactuated when the liquid in a container reaches a predetermined high orlow level.

Such mechanism may comprise a valve controlling the supply vof steam toa steam-driven Water pump used to supply water to a container, or thepassage of gas when gases are measured by displacement of water.

1. Float-controlled mechanism for a liquid container, comprising thecombination with a iloat and a receptacle surrounding the float providedwith an overflow inlet of large area in relation to its capacity at thelevel of the predetermined upper limit of liquid level in the containerand with an opening in the bottom thereof, of a tubular member mountedvertically within said opening, a low level float located below thetubular member, a disc-like valve member mounted on the low level floatfor controlling the lower end of the tubular member, a Valve sternintegral with the valve member, a guide within the tubular member forthe valve stem, an upstanding annular Wall around thevupper face of thelow level float and a drainage opening in said upstanding wallsubstantially at the level of the upper face of the low level float.

2. In a liquid container, ioat-controlled mechanism comprising thecombination with a oat and a receptacle surrounding the iioat providedwith an overflow inlet of large area in relation to its capacity at thelevel of the predetermined upper limit of liquid level in the containerand M5 With an outlet opening in the bottom thereof, of a bracket fixedto the container for supporting said receptacle, a tubular membermounted ver-Y the bracket aforesaid and surrounding the valve member andthe outlet from said tubular member to direct liquid coming through thetubular member into the basin. FREDERICK HENRY WARNER.V

